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    • SingCham is the premier business chamber for Singaporean interests in Indonesia. Founded in 2006, SingCham aims to promote the business interests of individuals or companies operating in Singapore and/or Indonesia. SingCham provides networking activities, events, and useful information for its members, and acts as the liaison between the Singaporean business community and the Singapore and Indonesian governments. With a focus on fostering better networking and feedback among members, SingCham is committed to providing valuable resources and insights to help members connect, learn, and grow their businesses in Indonesia. Join SingCham today and become part of a thriving business community that benefits from exclusive resources, networking opportunities, and business insights.

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    27Sep, 2018
    Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan revokes reclamation project permits
    Jakarta Bay reclamation. Photo: Antara / Aditya Pradana Putra

    Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan has voided principle permits to stop work on 13 man-made islands in the controversial Jakarta Bay land reclamation project.

    Anies said that the decision on Wednesday was made after hearing a recommendation from the Northern Coast Management Coordinating Agency (BKP-Pantura).

    “Based on the recommendation, we can assure you that we will stop the development of the 13 reclaimed islands,” Anies told reporters at City Hall, as reported on the administration’s website.

    The governor was referring to islets A, B and E, which are being developed by PT Kapuk Naga Indah; islets I, J and K, developed by PT. Pembangunan Jaya Ancol; islet M, developed by PT. Manggal Krida Yudha; islets O and F, developed by PT Jakarta Propertindo; islets P and Q, developed by KEK Marunda Jakarta; islet H, developed by PT Taman Harapan Indah; and islet I, developed by PT Jaladri Kartika Pakci.

    Anies added that the existing islets would be used for the benefit of the public, without specifying what that meant.

    Anies claimed the developers, which have already obtained principle permits, had failed to follow the correct procedures, including with regard to submitting the design and Environmental Impact Analysis (Amdal) reports.

    Source: The Jakarta Post 

    19Sep, 2018
    Online ads in Singapore offering Indonesian maids for sale

    Online ads in Singapore offering Indonesian maids for sale were Wednesday condemned as “unjust and demeaning”, in a rare flare-up of tensions between the neighbours over domestic helpers.

    Singapore is home to almost 250,000 maids, mostly from poor parts of Indonesia or the Philippines, who head to the wealthy city-state to earn higher salaries than they can back home.

    While Indonesia regularly protests about abuse and exploitation of helpers in Malaysia and parts of the Middle East, complaints about treatment of maids in tightly-regulated Singapore are less common.

    However reports that Indonesian helpers were being offered for sale in the city-state on online marketplace Carousell quickly drew condemnation from rights groups.

    The adverts under the user name “maid.recruitment” reportedly offered the services of several helpers from Indonesia, while some ads indicated maids had been “sold”.

    (read more: The Jakarta Post)

    17Sep, 2018
    Started in 2010, Path to stop operation in October

    Social networking and photo-sharing app Path is set to terminate its service on Oct. 18.

    Following rumors that spread over the weekend, the team officially announced the plan on Monday, sharing the shutdown schedule on its website.

    “It is with deep regret that we announce that we will stop providing our beloved service, Path. We started Path in 2010 as a small team of passionate and experienced designers and engineers. Over the years we have tried to lay out our mission: through technology and design we aim to be a source of happiness, meaning and connection to our users,” it stated.

    The team shared that starting Oct. 1, people would no longer be able to download or update the app from iTunes and Google Play.

    Then, on Oct. 18, it would start to terminate the service. Finally, on Nov. 15, Path-related customer service will be officially closed.

    (read more: The Jakarta Post)

    13Sep, 2018
    Go-Jek kicks off maiden operation in Vietnam

    Go-Jek, the Indonesian ride-hailing app, kicked off its maiden operation in Vietnam on Wednesday, the first step of the company’s plan to expand into Southeast Asia.

    In Vietnam, Go-Jek is collaborating with a local team led by digital entrepreneur Nguyen Vu Duc under the brand Go-Viet.

    “We are very impressed with Go-Jek’s influence and we share the same vision,” Go-Viet CEO Vu Duc told journalists on Wednesday. He said Go-Jek was Go-Viet’s strategic partner in terms of technological and financial matters.

    Go-Jek corporate affairs chief Nila Marita said it decided to collaborate with a local partner because local knowledge of the market was key to win the hearts of customers.

    Vu Duc said the company was expected to have four services — Go-Bike, Go-Car, Go-Food and e-wallet – early next year.

    (read more: The Jakarta Post)

    13Sep, 2018
    Trade war pushes China to go on charm offensive over free-trade credentials

    Increasingly convinced that the trade war with the United States is unlikely to end soon, Beijing is stepping up its charm offensive to reassure foreign politicians and business leaders of its commitment to global free trade by opening and reforming its domestic economy.

    And next week’s “Summer Davos” – or the World Economic Forum’s Twelfth Annual Meeting of the New Champions – in Tianjin will serve as the next occasion for Beijing to outline its stance.

    “The Chinese government has high expectations for the conference,” Xia Qing, deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission’s international department, said on Wednesday.

    It was at the World Economic Forum at Davos in January last year that President Xi Jinping made a now-famous keynote speech defending free trade while opposing the rising tide of protectionism. Xi sought to portray China as the new leading champion of globalisation.

    “As the trade war is tending to escalate, [China] is sending strong signals that it will firmly promote globalisation, trade liberalisation, that it will support the Belt and Road Initiative and actively respond to global technological changes,” Xia said.

    (read more: South China Morning Post)

    13Sep, 2018
    Amazon, Apple, others to testify before U.S. Senate on data privacy September 26

    Six major Web companies and internet-service providers, including AT&T Inc, Twitter Inc and Alphabet Inc’s Google, will detail their consumer data privacy practices to a U.S. Senate panel on Sept. 26, according to a congressional statement on Wednesday.

    The Senate hearing will give the six technology-related companies, which also include Amazon.com Inc, Apple Inc and Charter Communications Inc, “an opportunity to explain their approaches to privacy,” said U.S. Senator John Thune, the Republican chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee.

    They will also testify on “how they plan to address new requirements from the European Union and California, and what Congress can do to promote clear privacy expectations without hurting innovation,” Thune said.

    (read more: Reuters)
    12Sep, 2018
    Rupiah weakens slightly on Wednesday

    The rupiah weakened slightly on Wednesday to Rp 14,863 per US dollar, from Rp 14, 835 on Monday, according to Bank Indonesia’s Jakarta Interbank Spot Dollar Rate (JISDOR).

    Samuel Sekuritas Indonesia economist Ahmad Mikail said the weakening trend might continue should the dollar index remain at 95.

    He said the dollar was still in a strong position amid the trade war between the United States and China. “China plans to report the US to the WTO [World Trade Organization] for the US’ plan to increase import tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese products,” he added as reported by kontan.co.id

     

    (read more: The Jakarta Post)

    10Sep, 2018
    Alibaba appoints Daniel Zhang to succeed Jack Ma as chairman in 12-month succession plan

    Jack Ma will hand over the keys of Asia’s most valuable company to Alibaba Group Holding’s chief executive officer, in an unprecedented succession plan that will slowly take the focus off one of China’s most recognisable corporate names over the next 12 months.

    6Sep, 2018
    Facebook to build first Asian data centre in Singapore, investing S$1.4 billion

    Social media giant Facebook on Thursday (Sep 6) announced it will pour in more than S$1.4 billion to construct its first data centre in Asia in Singapore.

    The new facility, located at Tanjong Kling (formerly known as Data Centre Park) in the west of Singapore, will span 170,000 sq m and will “support hundreds of jobs”, the company said in its press release, adding it will form part of its growing presence in Singapore and across the region.

    Mr Thomas Furlong, vice president for Infrastructure Data Centers at Facebook, told reporters at the launch event that the new project will create “thousands of construction jobs”, while the facility will require “hundreds of operators” ranging from network maintenance to logistics staff. He added that given it is a long-term project, the company is still working out its staffing needs

    (read more: Channel News Asia)